North Koreans access foreign media

A recent US study has shown that access to foreign media is changing North Korean perspective, saying that they “are beginning to look more critically” at their government. North Korea remains one of the world’s most closed nations and is controlled by a communist regime.

Its citizens now have greater access to information from the outside world, including foreign DVDs and radio. The study’s principal author Nat Krechun, describes South Korean dramas particularly as “eye-openers” for North Koreans about their arch-enemies lives. Information also penetrates through radio and television, usually blocked by authorities, as people living in areas bordering China and South Korea have access to foreign TV.

North Koreans’ view on the US remains that it is “too foreign to comprehend”. North Koreans are seeking information other than propaganda, a small step towards a more “skeptical” perspective on their leaders.